


Introductions

by Talyn_The_Ace



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Angst with a Happy Ending, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Everyone is Bisexual Because I Said So, F/M, Female Deceit | Janus Sanders, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Help, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm ace so assume the characters are too unless stated otherwise, Light Angst, Logic | Logan Sanders is a Little Shit, M/M, Minor Angst, Minor Original Character(s), No bad parents, Trans Male Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Well - Freeform, but i sneak it in there, good family relations, he gets better tho, healthy relationship between anxiety and deciet because we're all starved, its pretty blink-and-you'll-miss-it tho, minor homophobia, my 'characters deserve to be happy' agenda, not exactly but there is an arranged marriage involved, only good parents, patton is kinda background too, sorry he just didnt end up being very involved, trans virgil rights
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:02:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29259402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talyn_The_Ace/pseuds/Talyn_The_Ace
Summary: Otp writing prompt: Arranged Marriage Aus: Our siblings are in an arranged marriage and so we see each other at awkward social gatherings between our two kingdoms au.Virgil's sister Jackie had known she was engaged to a foreign power her entire life. Everything is simple, get engaged, get married, and as long as you can moderately tolerate your spouse, everything will be fine. The only issue seems to be that Virgil met the fiance's brother, and he really isn't a fan. Not after the man declared war on him on their first meeting.(I'm really bad at writing summaries sorry)
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

Virgil dreaded these events terribly, he thought to himself, smoothing down his ball gown self-consciously. His long, light brown hair was knotted on top of his head with a single strand delicately curled down the side of his fair skin. There’d be no hiding behind his hair now. Carefully carved waves flowed down his back and a small golden crown made itself known, resting against his pinned updo. A deep royal purple dress graced his figure with a sweetheart neckline before bumping the winding lace resting on his waist, gently sliding into an elegant pleated full-length skirt which was just wide enough to meet female gender expectations but comfortable and breathable enough that Virgil wouldn’t have too much difficulty walking, sitting, or existing in general. Ruby lips, a touch of rouge upon his pale cheekbones, and eyeliner were delicately touched upon his skin. Painted long nails and a singular golden bracelet, a studded amethyst necklace, and golden-dripped earrings completed Virgil’s descent into full feminine grace. Virgil was a princess. Corny hand fan and all. 

Virgil’s sister, Jaqueline, the oldest of the two children under King Thomas’s heritage, was affianced to the prince of a neighboring kingdom, Crown Prince Roman Moreno Tudor of the Kingdom of Spain. And now, Virgil has to attend the first of numerous parties dedicated to the creation, finalization, and resolution of a life-long business proposition known as an arranged marriage. See, the parties were an excuse for the Kings to get together under friendly terms where they would then discuss at length the process of forcing their children into loveless marriages for political gain. And Virgil had to attend every. Single. One. Of. Them. Virgil’s sister and the prince had been engaged since birth, yet they still were required to throw at least 17 gatherings for tedious confirmations. Followed by another 10 during the 6-month engagement, and the rest of their lives to throw hundreds or thousands more. 

Virgil puffed out his hand fan and began his graceful, if reluctant, descent down the gently winding staircase. He was stopped at the top while waiting for the announcer to call his name from the scroll. 

“Princess Veronica Sanders of the Kingdom of France,” the sturdy announcing voice called. A soft round of applause rang through the general crowd and Virgil stepped forward to bow before the king. 

Virgil’s father was a proud man and ruthless in his authority. Virgil bowed in front of him, and his father gave a single nod and a slight smile before Virgil ran for the hills as gracefully as physically possible. 

The ballroom was as large and brightly lit as ever. Swinging chandeliers of interwoven strings of golden ribbon illuminated the hall as candlelight shone against the marble. Marble floors, marble walls, marble columns, and a marble staircase, all made of the same gorgeous tone. Accents of gold weren’t difficult to find, although it was slightly more difficult to see between the troves of people. Virgil rested his back against a column of marble off the side of the wall, just far enough away from the people to not be bothered but close enough to the action in case he was needed. 

“Vir-Veronica!” a peppy voice called behind him. Virgil turned to see Patton bouncing up to him. “There you are!” 

Him and Patton had been best friends since early childhood. Due to typical female and male relations, an arranged marriage between the two was considered for a short time before a needed alliance between his kingdom and another one came up and he became engaged to the princess of a neighboring kingdom instead. 

“Hey, Patton. How are things over in Ottoman?” 

“Oh, as they’ve always been. Nothing has happened there in decades, certainly longer than I’ve been alive to see them. Yadda yadda, thirty parties a minute, yadda yadda. How are things here?” 

“Jaqueline got engaged to the prince of Spain. This is her engagement party. Well, pre-pre-pre-engagement. The pre-pre-engagement party is next week I think. Will you be there?” 

“No, I’ve got my own engagement to worry about. The future in-laws are planning a week-long visit to our castle for prep.”

“Ugh,” Virgil groaned, “I’ll be all alone with no one to save me but the future in-laws!” Virgil threw the back of his hand against his forehead and swooned dramatically to show Patton he wasn’t actually upset. 

Patton chuckled at his antics and proceeded to retell dramatically the time he saved a baby bird from the castle courtyard. 

The announcer’s voice cut through their conversation, abnormally loud to get everyone’s attention. 

“Prince Larenzo ‘Logan’ Moreno Tudor of Spain!” Virgil turned to see his sister’s fiance’s brother for the first time. At the top of the stairs was a man, about 17 years of age. He was tall, with midnight black hair cropped close to the back of his head. The hair on the top of his head was longer, nearly falling into his eyes and slightly wavy. He was dressed in a deep blue tuxedo with golden accents that stood out nicely against his dusky pigmentation. He wore a small crown of gold buried in the ink of his hair, head tilted up like the world was beneath him. 

He floated down the stairs and gracefully bowed at the king. His crown never even shifted as the man held the deep bow until the ruler was satisfied. 

Prince Larenzo ‘Logan’ etc. etc.’s eyes scanned the crowd, completely skipping over Virgil. Patton, of course, could never take the hint when someone didn’t want to talk and flounced over to the foreign prince. Virgil trailed behind him because there was no way in hell that Virgil would ever let himself be left alone at this type of party. Patton began talking directly to him, drawing the foreign prince’s attention, seemingly against his will. 

“Hello! My name is Prince Patton! This is Prince-ess Vir-onica! It’s very nice to meet you!” Patton held his hand out for the other prince to shake. He looked at it with disdain. 

“A pleasure. I am Prince Logan.” He began walking away. He neither shook Patton's hand nor made eye contact. 

“Hey. You could at least shake his hand.” Virgil didn’t know where that came from, but this man’s blatant disregard for the respect his friend deserved made him really bold. The boldness that came from anger. 

“V, it’s fine. He doesn’t have to if he doesn’t want to.” Patton amended, easily ready to leave bygones as bygones. But the man turned to make eye contact with Virgil. 

“Princess Veronica. I implore you to consider the fact that we will never get along, nor will I ever look your way or see you as an equal. You are below me in social standing in several different ways. We are not equals, nor will we ever be acquaintances, much less friends. Remember your place.” He turned his eyes from Virgil’s, scanning the rest of the room briefly before continuing, “ I must admit, this palace is rather quaint. It will make a lovely summer palace for the Moreno Tudors. I will now ignore you as you are not worth my time. I will see you at the wedding.” The bastard then turned and began walking away, leaving a fuming Virgil behind him. Virgil turned his back on the prince, the only sign of disrespect he was capable of showing at the moment, and began making his way back to his previous corner. 

Patton didn’t seem happy with that at all. “What was that?” He questioned, utterly baffled in the face of what he just watched. 

“I genuinely don’t know. But apparently, my future brother-in-law is a prick.” Virgil said, huffy. He’d deny all this later, but for now, he let himself be upset, slumping slightly against the wall and allowing a wilt to find it’s way in his voice. He’d thought (more like hoped) that at the very least he’d get along with the guy. It would make his future living together, pretending to be a happy family, infinitely easier if his new relatives were tolerable. 

“Now, V, you know perfectly well that some people are just bad at expressing themselves and don’t like talking to new people. I happen to know one myself, his name starts with V-” 

“There’s social anxiety and there’s declaring war on me at the first meeting, Pat. Whatever that was, it definitely qualified as the latter.” Virgil regretted his words as soon as he saw his best friend’s face. “No matter what happens, I have Jackie and you covering my back. That’s better than getting along with my relatives any day. I’ll be fine.” 

Patton didn’t look convinced, but he let it go in lieu of going to swipe a few horderves from the tables. 

“Prince Remus Moreno Tudor of Spain.” The announcer shouted above the crowd’s chatter. Virgil gave him a passing glace only to find he looked similar to his brother, with dark curly hair, but seemed slightly shorter than the last prince had been. 

Virgil took a moment to collect himself. Twisting the delicately-curled lock of hair around his finger, he smoothed it back into place. He brushed his dress around to make it presentable, corrected his posture, and expertly weaved his small tiara back to the proper angle. Virgil fixed his kindest of fake smiles on his face and smothering the minor gender dysphoria, when the announcer began once again. 

“Crown Princess Jaqueline Sanders of France!” A polite round of applause struck up once again for the future leader-of-the-household. Virgil despised clapping for people under these circumstances, but his sister deserved a nice bout of applause. It’s not every day your sister gets pre-pre-pre engaged. 

Jackie looked stunning, but she looked stunning in anything she happened to be wearing. A golden diadem/crown graced her dark brown locks. The curly hair had been woven into three neat dutch braids along the top of her head, coming to a small bun at the peak of her head. The rest of her hair had been expertly brushed and flowed down her back. While Virgil’s had been pulled up to keep from getting tangled, Jackie’s easy grace kept her appearance from getting disheveled, as she proved years ago. No amount of partying, no matter how many hours of sitting in the same place, no matter how long she socializes, and she contains an easy grace unmatched by anyone Virgil had ever met. 

She caught Virgil’s eye and winked, somehow making that look graceful too. She bowed with a steady arch of her back and a single moment passed before the king was satisfied with the act, dismissing her. She smiled at him sweetly before diverging from the location. She began approaching Virgil, joining him only a moment later. 

“Hi. Anything happen while I was gone?” 

“Well, I think I have an arch enemy now. By the way, the brother of your fiance is an asshole.” 

“Oh my god, really? How did that even happen, you’re like the least confrontational person I’ve ever met in my goddamn life. How’d you get an enemy so fast? I was gone like 10 minutes.” She looked at Virgil with a face that shined with pride. 

One thing about Virgil’s older sister, she was the picture of an angel, but she was a trickster underneath that gorgeous smile. 

Patton returned with a plate stacked high with sweets and other small snacking food and the three of them shuffled slightly into the corner, feasting on the trove of treasures. 

“I heard about your incoming engagement to the prince of Spain. Congratulations!” Patton burst, cheerful as always and knowing just what to say to pick up the slightly downward mood. 

“Oh, yeah. I’ve met the prince, although briefly, before. Of all the men to get forced to marry, he seems the better of all of them. At the very least, he seemed to treat me as an equal, carrying the conversation as he would with another man.”

“Oh come on, you and I both know that that’s like, the bare minimum he could do.” 

“Tell that to the other ten men who refused to even approach a conversation with me due to my gender. At this point, basic respect is the only requirement I can afford when choosing someone to wed. If the bar was any higher none would meet it.” 

A comfortable silence fell onto the trio. Virgil had been in the middle of taking a bite of a really good pastry when the announcer’s voice rang out for the final time that night. 

“Crown Prince Romulus ‘Roman’ Moreno Tudor of Spain!”

“Welp, time for my future fiance to meet my favorite people in the whole world.” Jaqueline bumped Virge with her shoulder, giving him a smile. Patton slung an arm around Virgil and Virgil grabbed his sister’s hand as they made their way over to Jackie’s future husband, all with smiles on their faces. 

Meeting Prince Larenzo had disheartened Virgil, but it was falling to the back of his mind with the support of his best friends. 

Jackie curtsied at Prince Romulus before speaking. “Princey, this is my… sister Veronica and our friend Prince Patton. V, Pat, this is Prince Roman, but calling him Princey against his will is much more fun.” 

“Nice to meet you! I’m Prince Patton but everyone calls me Pat!” Patton held his hand out for a handshake, which Prince Roman enthusiastically shook with a charming smile. 

“Hi. I’m Prince Romulus, but Everyone calls me Roman, or, apparently, Princey.” Prince Roman said to Patton, smirking heartily at his nickname. 

Virgil debated for a minute about his self-introduction before deciding to play it safe. “Hi! I’m Princess Veronica but everyone calls me V. Or Veronica is also fine.” Virgil curtsied at the prince, but he held his hand out expectantly. 

Virgil stared at the extended hand. 

“Come on, shake it. It won’t kill you.”

Virgil looked at Jackie, who looked a little starstruck. 

He looked back at the hand. 

“Unless you don’t want to, that’s okay too…” The foreign prince suddenly looked a little unsure and began to draw his hand away before Virgil took it firmly and gave it a shake. 

“I’m sorry. I was simply caught off guard. Um… by chance, is your brother, Prince Lorenzo, is he…” Virgil trailed off, having no idea how to finish that particular thought. 

Roman sighed, “Oh my god, did he threaten you?” At virgil’s face, he sighed. “I told him specifically not to do that. I am so so sorry. He’s the youngest of the three of us but he’s the most overprotective. He told me, “They’ll respect us more if we assert ourselves first.” Like some kind of wild animal. I told him not to, but he never listens to a word I say. Please, do not take his words too harshly. He’s just really bad at meeting new people.” 

Virgil laughed, mildly uncomfortable. Prince Roman seemed to notice but didn’t do more than offer a glance. 

“Well, it was nice to talk to you.” Jackie said after a slight awkward pause. 

“Actually, I’d like to talk to you more, if you don’t mind-” Prince Roman began before another nobleman pulled him away. 

The prince left Virgil’s immediate field of vision and Virgil immediately nearly collapsed with relief. Jackie noticed that, obviously, and bumped shoulders with him. 

The party continued without much fanfare. The three took turns braving the crowd for plates of snacks and chatted the majority of the night away. Patton had to make the journey back in the morning, so he left the party early to turn into his guest room. Virgil and Jackie continued talking. They had much less to talk about since they saw each other nearly every day, but they had such an easy time that silence was comforting and jokes were welcome. Then came the most exhausting part of the party. Jackie and Virgil were required to stand with their father as they thanked people for coming and gave vague instructions on how to return to their specified rooms. 

“Thank yo-” Virgil began before making eye contact with Prince Larenzo. The prince, obviously annoyed, raised a single eyebrow and threw his piercing gaze into Virgil’s soul. Virgil cleared his throat delicately, before continuing. “Thank you for coming,”  _ Delicate curtsey, purposefully drop eye contact, you’ve got this, Virgil, almost done, _ “The guest suite you’ll be staying in is called room 232. You will exit the wall, go up the stairs immediately to your left, and the resulting hallway should lead to your room on the right.” 

“I see.” The man said in lieu of a reply, not even bothering to throw a bow or even a ‘thank you’ over his shoulder before brushing past Virgil to exit the ballroom. 

Virgil turned to thank one of the few remaining guests before a noise caught his attention. He turned to see Prince Romulus grasping the arm of Prince Lorenzo and dragging him back in front of Virgil. The prince deposited his younger brother in front of him before staring at the beleaguered prince expectantly. 

He huffed at his brother, who continued staring expectantly. Prince Romulus huffed after a solid 30 seconds of dead silence. “My asshole brother would like to thank you for being so polite to him during the party when he declared war on you, and would also like to thank you for the helpful instructions to his room, and also tell you that it was a wonderful party.” 

“I will do no such thing!” Prince Larenzo huffed at his brother before attempting to make a break for it as calmly as possible, holding perfect posture as he all but sprints in the direction of his room. 

“Get-  _ back here! _ ” Romulus catches the other by the arm, halting his escape attempt. “Thank the nice Princess for putting up with you! I’m serious here, Lo, you can’t do that! She’s to become your inlaw very soon, and even without that fact, you shouldn’t treat people like that.” The prince seemed to pull out a master set of puppy dog eyes at his brother, who proceeded to throw his head back in a pray to god before turning his attention to Virgil, who’d remained silent the entire time the exchange was taking place. 

“Thank you.” The youngest brother deadpanned, before turning his arm out of his brother’s grasp and stomping his way up the stairs. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry about him. He’s not normally like that. I don’t know what’s gotten into him, I’ll talk to him, I promise, lovelypartyIgottago!” Prince Romulus stormed his way after his brother after rushing out the last few words. 

Virgil, having exactly zero clue what just happened, could only stare after the pair as the oldest brother caught up with and got into a deep conversation with his brother. 

Shaking his head and giving himself a minute, at least, he turned back to his assigned task. Many pairs of eyes greeted his turn. This was going to be a long night. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new day, a new party Virgil would do anything to get out of. 
> 
> Everything seems okay, but a throwaway comment is all it takes the turn Virgil's world upside down.

One party down, six thousand to go. Now there was a luncheon, which is honestly Virgil’s favorite type of social gathering. It requires much lighter clothing that he can actually move in, less people, and an excuse not to talk to someone while you eat. This is great for Virgil, who’s never aced a single dance class in his life but has mastered pretending to have manners, but wasn’t so great for Jackie, whose natural grace made dancing a breeze but wasn’t nearly as good at holding her tongue when there was something she really wanted to say. It was her one fault, which she released via easily masked sarcasm and comments under her breath that could easily be passed off as something else, like a breath to cool her food or the beginning of a coughing fit. 

A month had passed since the previous ball and the Tudors had gone back to Spain in the meantime. But now, one carriage ride later, they’re returning to the Sanders castle for almost a week while they arrange the finer details of the engagement. The official engagement date was months away, but in comparison to the lifetime they’d all known the fate of the union, it doesn’t seem too far away, especially for a royal wedding. 

A servant got the Kings attention. “Excuse me, your highness, the royal family of Spain has arrived and requested your presence.” 

“Of course! Thank you, you’re dismissed.” The King brushed past the servant and begins making his way to the entrance of the castle. Once he exits, the Queen turns towards her children. 

“Now, I understand the stress of a one-on-one meeting with the future in laws, but I expect you to be on your best behavior. Everything will be alright, but right now your father is under a lot of stress making sure the deal goes through smoothly. The last thing we need is a disagreement between you two and your future family. Am I understood?” The two nodded and their mother beamed at them before turning towards the door. 

Their father appeared in the doorway a moment later with 5 individuals following him. The first one to be seen was a big, burly man, about 40 years old, with grey-streaked dark hair, tinted gold skin, and a dark tunic with golden accents lining it. Mother immediately moved to begin greeting and introducing herself to everyone, Jackie following quickly behind. Virgil moved too, standing in line as everyone made sure they were all introduced to each other, all proper and neat. 

A hardy chuckle was shared between the kings as they shared a handshake and Virgil’s father began introducing himself to the other queen. She was an average height, but you’d never tell with how her husband practically towered over her. She had almond skin, black curly hair, and kind eyes. After a few minutes of introductions, Virgil began introducing himself. 

“Hello, young lady. I am King Anthony of Spain, but I’ll rob you of all your gold if you call me anything but Tony, ya hear? We’re practically family, after all!” He held out a firm hand for a shake, which Virgil returned gladly. 

“I wouldn't dream of it, Tony. I’m Princess Veronica of France, but I’ll have to insist right back that you call me Veronica.” Virgil had never met the king before and had no idea what to expect, but it was easy to talk to him. 

“What a pleasant, headstrong young lady. Roman, m’boy, come meet this nice young lady! Logan, get your head outta your ass and come over here! Come meet this lovely girl! Veronica, you said it was? It is lovely to meet you.” 

Virgil was incredibly flustered and turned almost imperceptibly to the queen hanging off the man’s arm. 

“Goodness, Beloved, stop crowding around the poor lady.” The queen puts a gentle hand over his heart in a clearly fond gesture. The king puts his arm around her back. “I’m Queen Lolita; so nice to meet you.” 

“It's very nice to meet you too. I’m Princess Veronica.” She gave him a kind smile. They shook hands. 

Out of the blue she put her hand on Virgil’s shoulder and said, “Good child.” Then she patted my cheek and turned to walk over to the table. 

_ A minute to process _ … Virgil turns to the next person he’s supposed to introduce himself to. He meets the eyes of Prince Romulus, and looking back on his previous experience with the prince, his entire personality makes a lot more sense, after meeting his family. 

They throw each other a greeting before Prince Romulus also makes his way over. Virgil begins walking towards the outdoor table to begin a stilted conversation before something slimy touches his hand. Virgil looked down to where his hand was, because  _ something is touching his hand _ , when he noticed the one person he had yet to meet. 

Virgil looks at Prince Remus, who seems to have put a snail in his hand when his back is turned. 

“Hi! I’m Remus, it’s nice to meet you, that’s my snail Jefferey. I lost his brother Dahmer, but I’m sure he’ll turn up. Or maybe I put him in your sister’s pocket. I can’t remember.” The shortest of the brothers grabbed Virgil’s hand (the one not holding the snail) and shook it for a moment before letting it go, never seeming to take a breath. He had dirt all over him from an unknown source and smelled faintly of blood, but somehow, he didn’t look too terribly unpleasant to be around, which was an odd mix for Virgil who never felt safe around anyone. Maybe it was because these people, in their own way, already had begun to feel like family. They definitely treated him like he was one of their own immediately. 

Well, everyone but Prince Larenzo, but that's besides the point.

Prince Remus had the brightest red eyes in existence, which was strange considering the entire rest of the family had dark brown eyes. His skin was a coppery color, and a little darker than the rest of his family. If Virgil had to guess, after knowing the man for two minutes, it was probably because of the time he spent out in the sun. 

Virgil figures it’d be rude not to answer at all, despite Prince Remus not seeming to care in the slightest, and he says, “Hi, I’m Princess Veronica. It’s nice to meet you too.” 

The spanish man smiled at him before ushering him over to the table and immediately sprinting off in the direction of the garden. Virgil set Jefferey the Snail on the grass, out of the way so he wouldn’t be harmed. 

The dinner was more lively than Virgil thought it would be. Prince Lorenzo He was used to conversations about the weather, basic conversation where no one took him seriously because he was a lady, and small-talk nobody bothers to really care about. But with Prince Romulus and Prince Larenzo’s bickering, Prince Remus’s constant muttering about literally any topic that crossed his mind, and Jackie’s sarcasm mixed with genuine reactions she couldn’t quite hide, Virgil felt himself easing into the conversation. 

The kings, off to the side, had been discussing their mutual plans for how everything would line up, assuring themselves and everyone else that they hadn’t missed any obvious bumps in their grand scheme, but so far everything seemed to be planned to a t. 

That is, Virgil thought, when everything has to go wrong. 

The king’s loud voice boomed across the courtyard, ringing in his ears. 

“When this beautiful country becomes Spain, the families residing here will rejoice!” 

Everything stilled as Virgil’s mind scrambled and rushed to piece itself together, but the parts didn’t seem to fit. What did that mean? ‘When this beautiful country becomes spain?’ But, it wouldn’t become spain. They would stay two separate countries, just ruled by the same… 

But as Virgil said that, even in his head, it didn’t line up. Jackie was the crown princess. That makes her the rightful inheritor to the throne. And Prince Romulus outclasses her by being male, so her land will become his… 

Virgil felt like he was going to throw up. 

He stumbled out a quick “excuse me,” Even as his voice sounded strained and too, too high-pitched. He practically bolted out of the courtyard, absentmindedly turning any way his feet carried him. 

_ “The families residing here will rejoice!”  _ The king had said it so powerfully, so sure, like there wasn’t a doubt in his mind, and honestly, Virgil could believe that the king didn’t have a doubt in his mind. He firmly believed that the kingdom would be happier becoming a part of spain. 

But when, in every history lesson Virgil ever had, did a kingdom become happier when taken over and ruled by a foreign power? Spain spoke a different language, used a different money system, had different laws and even a changing governmental and social structure. And there wasn’t a person in France who’d been promised access to resources, a way to exchange money so they weren’t considered dirt-poor by every store using spanish money, and the great majority of them don’t speak spanish. On very rare occasions, someone will speak English, because England used to rule France before France became its own country. 

Virgil snapped out of his trance when his pathway ended. He was heaving breaths by the time he stopped. He was on the cusp of a panic attack. Not to mention he’d run all the way to what seemed like his sister’s bedroom.  _ That makes sense,  _ he thought to himself,  _ this is where I go to feel safe.  _

“V?” A faint voice shouted. 

He tried to shout for it. Something about it felt comforting. He couldn’t place it. 

The door bursts open, and in storms Virgil’s constant, the reason he hasn’t drowned in the crowds of nobles, his sister. “Virgil! Oh, god, I had no idea where you went! I got worried for you.” She paused and her eyes softened as they swept over Virgil. 

“Oh, Verge, it’s okay. It’s okay. Can you breathe for me?” 

_ But I am breathing.  _ Virgil wondered. He checked again,  _ Oh, I guess I’m not. Whoops.  _ He took a couple deep breaths in time with his sister. She asked if she could touch him, and he said yes.  _ Why did he say yes? Oh, that’s right, because my sister gives the best hugs ever. Well, maybe second to Pat, but that’s because it’s Pat.  _ The hug was warm and they eventually settled on Jackie’s bed. 

“You don’t have to tell me what’s wrong, but if you’d like to, I’m glad to listen?” Jackie was good at a lot of things. Dazzling a crowd, training herself in any skill she deemed useful no matter what, a sharp wit, and an even sharper tongue. But she’d never been good at the emotional stuff. Holding back her words when she felt strongly about something, expressing emotion around anyone who wasn’t Virgil, and especially comfort. But time had made her better. Experience softened the rough beginning, when Virgil was a scared little girl, unsure about the world around him, and Jackie had been forced to learn how to comfort him through trial and error. 

And suddenly, Virgil is talking. Everything that’s been bothering him after the past few weeks. He hadn’t had a chance to go into detail about his interaction with Prince Lorenzo and it had been stressing him out, as well as how he’d never even thought about how France would become Spain once she married Prince Romulus. She silently nodded along until he stopped, heaving a breath and dramatically falling back onto the bed, too tired to sit up. 

“Well, I’m not going to lie to you, Virgil, I’ve been scared of that too. A little, not much. But do you want to know what I think? I think that as long as I’m here, as long as I’m queen, as long as I have any say in this, nothing bad will happen to anyone.” She leans closer to Virgil, “And between you and me, Roman isn’t the smartest man to ever grace the throne. He’ll believe he’s in love with me by the end of the week, I’ll be ruling that throne in a fortnight.” She winks at Virgil. 

Virgil laughs against his will and sits up. “Do you like him? The prince? Not like you have much of a choice, but you can at least tolerate him, right?” 

Jackie’s face gets faintly redder. It’s almost funny to watch. 

“So, a little more than tolerate, huh.” Virgil smirks as she buries her face in her head. 

“Shut up!” She tries to push him off the bed but just succeeds in lightly moving him away for a minute. 

“Oh, this is so  _ embarrassing  _ for you!” Virgil laughs as he pushes her back. “You like  _ Ro-man _ !” 

“Oh my god, shut up! Also, don’t think you’re going to get away with distracting me! We will talk about that panic attack you just had!” 

“No, I don’t think so, my  _ sister _ is in  _ love _ !” 

“Not in  _ love _ , I just think he’s really adorable, and smart, and i’m not helping myself, am I?” 

“No, no, keep going, I’d like to hear all about how  _ adorable _ he is.” Virgil says innocently, watching, amused, as Jackie glares at him through her hands. 

The conversation continues, and Virgil thinks he’s gotten out of the conversation about the fate of the country. Really, he should’ve known better. Jackie never forgets anything.

It all comes to head with Virgil’s father calling him to his office the next morning. 

He opened the large double-doors to approach his father’s large chair. He sat in the slightly smaller one on the opposite side of a large oak desk littered with paper and had an entire corner for wax sealing. 

“Dad? Is everything okay?” 

“Oh, I didn’t mean to worry you V. Come, sit. It’s nothing to worry about.”

He was still nervous, but if he said so… Virgil sat down in the oak seat, trying to get comfortable against the hard wood. 

“I’m going to be straightforward. Your sister said that you had some concerns about the state of our kingdom after Jaqueline marries Prince Romulus and France joins with Spain.”

Virgil nearly froze in his seat, unsure what to say to that. It’s true, he was. But there was no way he would call it off. Would he? 

_ No, he wouldn’t, _ Virgil told himself.  _ It’s too good of an offer. Two of the world’s superpowers sharing gold and land? No way in hell.  _

_ But what happens when somebody else calls the shots for our people?  _

His father sighed and made eye contact with him. “Veronica, I know I’m not the closest to you kids, and I have to work a lot, but I do love you. I’m not around as much as I’d like to be. But you have to trust me. Nobody is going anywhere. Our kingdom will not suffer due to this exchange, I have ensured it over many years of discussion with King Anthony, and much thought has gone into every detail. There is one thing I will not stand for, and that is my kingdom falling to ruin. Please, have faith in this, in me. Everything will work out, I promise you. If it really worries you that much, I can talk more with your sister and Anthony to properly secure a prosperous future for everyone. But you are too young, too inexperienced, to be a part of such matters. This is not even a union involving you, after all, it involves your sister, and while I hear your doubts, let me put them to rest.”

“Okay, dad, I trust you. But, please, know that I will fight for the success of our country.”

“I know you will. I will too. This wasn’t a decision I made lightly, I’ll have you know, but It’s something I’ve never been more sure about.”

Virgil was put at ease with those words. His father hadn’t been around much, due to his busy work schedule, but he’d always done what was best for them. He knew what he was doing, and had supported his children in anything they needed or wanted. If he believed it was right, Virgil believed it too. 

Despite his firm belief in his father’s decisions and his sister’s strength, something about it just didn’t sit right with him. Maybe 10 years, 20 years, decades, centuries into the future, everything would be fine. But there’s no guarantee of anything after. Things may be fine, but they won’t last. And that’s not enough for Virgil, but honestly, what was he going to do about it? 

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, first chapter, DONE! Sorry, I have 0 posting schedule, but fortunately, I've already got another chapter started, so I guess we'll have to see! 
> 
> Thanks for reading this hot mess, I hope you liked it!


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